Pacquiao vs. Mosley is being hyped up as not only the top boxing match of the year, but as one of the top sporting events, as well.

8-division world champion Manny Pacquiao will stand off against living legend Shane Mosley, with Pacquiao’s WBO welterweight title on the line.

Tons of hype and speculation has gone into this fight over the past few months. Tonight, the fans find out the difference between fact and fiction.

1. Is Shane Mosley Past His Prime?

1 of 5

Harry How/Getty Images

The overwhelming majority of fans would say that Shane Mosley’s best days are behind him.

He is 2-2-1 in his past five outings, and completely under whelmed in his most recent fight against Sergio Mora in August of last year.

While some may say his domination of Antonio Margarito was not that long ago, it is hard to get past the fact that Mosley was completely outclassed by Floyd Mayweather in his next fight.

Does Mosley truly have some gas left in the tank at 39 years old? How he fairs against Pacquiao will more than likely answer that question.

2. Can Any Current Fighter Hang with Manny Pacquiao?

2 of 5

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Since Pacquiao was beaten by Erik Morales back in 2005, he has been on an absolute tear. He is 13-0 in the subsequent six years, defeating the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Juan Manuel Marquez, Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito.

He also avenged his loss to Morales (twice). If the Pac-Man can put forth another dominant performance against Mosley, the cries for a Mayweather-Pacquiao superfight are going to grow a lot louder.

3. How Much Money Will This Event Gross?

3 of 5

Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather earned the honor of highest grossing fight of all time in 2007, notching 2.15 million buys and a massive $120 million in pay-per-view revenue.

While Pacquiao vs. Mosley is very unlikely to crack those kinds of numbers, it is very feasible this event could crack the top 10 for highest grossing fights.

Both Pacquiao and Mosley are household names in the boxing community, and have a large international fan base.

How well this card fairs from a business perspective is likely dependent on how much of a chance fans are giving “Sugar” Shane Mosley in this one.

4. Is a Pacquiao-Mayweather Superfight Just a Fantasy If Mosley Is Competitive?

4 of 5

Considering how convincingly Floyd Mayweather won his fight against Shane Mosley in May of 2010, does Pacquiao have to dial in an equally impressive performance here?

If Mosley even has the slightest bit of fight left in him, will that be enough for Mayweather and his camp to write off ever signing a fight with Pacquiao?

Conversely, if Pacquiao knocks Mosley out, how much heat will Mayweather feel about how he could not finish the same fighter just one year prior?

5. Whose Facing More Pressure to Win Tonight?

5 of 5

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

If Manny Pacquiao loses, his legacy is badly damaged. If Shane Mosley loses, his career is over, assuming he wants to retire with some dignity.

Both men have been underneath the lights with the stakes quite high many times before, and have proven they can perform under pressure.

Nevertheless, there is a lot riding on the line for this one, so being the last man standing is arguably more critical than ever for these two talented fighters.